Duel Monsters World
by Raven26
Summary: What happens when duel monsters become a reality? Please R+R
1. Duel Monsters World

Personal Note  
  
This fic has no characters from the show in it, it's set in the real world with the possibility of an alternate reality in which people have the ability to morph into duel monsters. It'll contain monsters from the show (none of which I own) as well as magic abilities and trap cards.   
  
P.S. I have no idea what these rainbow cards do and so have decided to include them in the fic  
  
  
  
Duel Monsters World   
  
Yu-gi-oh had become an overnight sensation in Japan and was now spreading its tendrils overseas infecting avid gamers of all ages with the dueling virus. Many people believed that it was a fad that would pass by eventually like Pokemon, Digimon and the Power Rangers that had once been so popular that you couldn't go anywhere without hearing their names mentioned. However now they had drifted away and although the shows were still running they were by no means as popular as they had been.  
  
Yu-gi-oh however was something different, when Konami recognized that Yu-gi-oh might never go away they decided to exploit the possibility by designed the first dueling arenas. The small compact machines that were about the size of many computer consoles allowed duelists to witness their battles in a holographic simulation. It was a great feat of technology that had gamers worldwide dueling for money, cards and bragging rights. However there was one card that did nothing, a so called rainbow card; Konami had denied producing these seemingly worthless cards and got complaints from everywhere about how people had been screwed over. With Yu-gi-oh cards costing ten dollars now people expected to get what they paid for.  
  
This was the case for Miles Davies, saving money to buy these cards was hard work, he didn't have enough to duel yet and therefore had to scrimp and save at every corner. Mowing lawns, shoveling snow filled driveways and even unclogging blocked toilets. It was definitely dirty work but he figured it'd be worth it. Normally he would've first bought a starter deck and built up his forces from there but when those corporate bloodhounds at Konami realized the profit they could make from booster packs alone they ceased making them and also cut the number of cards in a booster down to three. People had to start over as old dueling cards from 2002 onward became useless and were not compatible with the holographic dueling fields. So far Miles had thirty cards, he'd started collecting when he found his first ever card on the side of the road, it wasn't particularly powerful but Silver Fang was enough to get him hooked on the game.  
  
His parents thought that they were a waste of time and that he shouldn't waste his money on such frivolous things but Miles was determined and hid his cards inside of a video case. He watched the official Yu-gi-oh duelist championships on the television, avidly trying to pick up tips and strategies from players like Zack Powell and Daniel Jakeman. His most powerful card so far was Curse of Dragon but he knew every card type and what its attack power was in the known world. And that's why he was hoping to get a Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon in this pack.   
  
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"That'll be ten dollars please," the fat, balding shopkeeper mumbled in between bits of his Mars bar. Digging in his pocket for a few seconds Miles extended the bill and the shopkeeper handed him his pack of three cards, "Thank you," Miles wiped the bits of Mars bar stuck to his face away as he walked off and headed out of the door.  
  
Being fifteen Miles lived in a small town with not that much going for it, in fact the only thing that seemed to generate any income was the Yu-gi-oh store. Stopping in a side alley on his way home so as not to be spotted by his parents or any of their friends he could feel his fingers shaking with light anticipation. It sounded stupid but Miles had been working hard for four months for this moment and was determined to savor it.  
  
Opening up the packet he noticed the back of the cards and inhaled the smell that could only come from a new pack of dueling cards. Discarding the packet in a trashcan beside him he wetted his lips and turned over the first card.  
  
Armored Lizard, Miles was pretty happy with that and smiled slightly as he reached for the next card and turned it over, Fissure, another pretty good card that Miles could use in battle. Even though he'd been hoping for all monster cards he could live with that. The back of the final card loomed in front of him and he turned it around to reveal…multi-colored stripes of yellow, black, blue and all the other colors of the rainbow. At first Miles stared at the card in disbelief, then his anger kicked in and he marched back towards the store.  
  
By the time he got there the storekeeper had finished his Mars and was busy slurping out of a McDonalds drink container, "Hey!" Miles ordered causing the unaware man to jump slightly, "I want a different pack. I got this," he thrust the rainbow card into the mans face.  
  
The shopkeeper raised his eyebrows before pointing down to a sign next to him, "Sorry kid but as the sign says, all sales are final and the store cannot be held responsible for rainbow cards being included in packs."  
  
"That's such bullshit," Miles cried throwing his arms up in the air before marching out of the store again and making his way home. "All that work for nothing," he muttered slamming the door to his home and marching upstairs, his parents weren't home yet and wouldn't be for another three hours. Placing Armored Lizard and Fissure with his other cards Miles flopped down onto his bed and stared at the rainbow card. "Great," he muttered, "all that work and I got to be one of the unlucky chumps with a useless card." Flinging it onto the floor he left his bedroom and closed his door with a slam, however when he left the lone card on the floor emitted a faint glow lighting up part of the darkened room.  
  
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"And once again Zack Powell has defeated another opponent to bring his winning streak up to 128, he is a true dueling legend and one who will never…" Miles frowned as the television blinked off. Looked around he searched for the remote until he noticed that his mother was standing behind him clutching it in her hand.  
  
"Miles Davies, how many times have I told you that I don't want you watching that garbage," she frowned her hands set firmly on her hips.  
  
"Uh…eleven?"   
  
"Don't get cute young man, and how many times have I told you not to leave your bedroom light on after you're finished up their?"  
  
Miles looked confused, "But it isn't on."  
  
"Don't lie to me I saw it when I parked in the driveway, now march yourself upstairs and turn it off," she pointed a finger at the staircase.  
  
"But mom…" she accentuated her point by jabbing her finger at the staircase. Sighing Miles got off of the couch and passed by her, "Fine, but I swear I didn't leave it on." Climbing the stairs Miles reached the landing and headed for his room, he was about to open the door when he noticed that there was a light on, it was creeping through the crack at the bottom of his door. "That's weird I could've sworn…" he stalled dumbfounded at what he saw, in the middle of his floor lay the rainbow card. But the only difference was that this time the colors were glowing.  
  
Approaching with caution Miles reached down and picked up the card, it seemed to glow brighter, "What the…" however Miles didn't have time to finish his sentence. A bright white flash enveloped his room blinding him for the moment and there was the distinct feeling of his falling before Miles blacked out.  
  
  
To Be Continued   
  
  
Chapter 2  
  
There was a distinct smell of flowers in the area, the only kind you'd recognize in a greenhouse. There was also a certain cold feeling to the air around him. Drowsy Miles smacked his lips before calling, "Mom! Turn the heating on will you?" No answer, "MOM," this time he yelled loudly, "Turn the heating on," still no answer. Feeling to his sides in an attempt to find his blanket Miles felt his hands come into contact with soft, moist, grass. Opening his eyes he squinted for just a second while his eyes adjusted and stared up at the clear blue sky.   
  
Wait a minute. Sky?  
  
Sitting upright Miles observed his surroundings with a mixture of shock and awe. He was lying in some sort of forest; tall trees covered the area with flowers sprouting out from every surface. There was no place like this in his town, 'It must be a dream,' his mind figured, leaning to one side he pinched himself and winced from the pain. It was no dream.  
  
Scrambling to his feet Miles was positive he heard a sound, a sort of low padding coming from the trees, but when he spun around the sound would stop, his eyes didn't register anything out of the ordinary apart from the obvious. Putting the sound down to the fact that he must be hearing things Miles took a few steps forward before noticing that the sound was there again. But once again when he stopped the noise stopped, "Hello!" he called into the thick brush, "Is anybody there?"  
  
Suddenly there was a hiss to his right, snapping his head towards the sound he scanned the treeline and locked onto a pair of yellow eyes that stared back at him. His mind was tore into two, try to communicate or run like hell? In the end the latter got the better of him and Miles turned to start running. He heard whatever it was roar as if angered by his sudden movements and when he went to move his legs he felt something stick to the left one. Ignoring whatever was on his leg he tried to run but soon found out that he couldn't when the leg that had something on it gave out and he crashed to the floor.  
  
His face slammed against the grass sending a sharp pain up into his brain. His eyes welled up and he felt whatever was after him start dragging him back towards it. Spinning onto his back to see whatever it was Miles froze, if he hadn't known better he'd have sworn he was looking at a Hunter Spider. The creature noticed that its prey was looking at it and hissed showing two furry fangs that dripped with yellow venom, its demonic face covered in hair and it's six eyes staring back at him. "HOLY SHIT!" Miles noticed that the stuff around his legs was now in fact webbing and the spider obviously believed it was looking at its next meal. "FUCK OFF. FUCK OFF," Miles desperately kicked at the soft dirt but couldn't get any traction and kept getting closer to the spider. Finally realizing it was useless Miles stopped struggling and laid back, he decided to say his last words now before dying in screaming agony, as he'd most likely be consumed alive. "This is so fucking unfair!"   
  
That was when the spider stalled and hissed menacingly, Miles looked up and noticed that the spider no longer had its sights on him but was instead looking at something behind him. Before he could turn a loud voice cut through the air, "Dark magic attack," a blue ball of…something crashed into the spider that screeched loudly before falling to the ground with a thud and a gaping hole in its chest that spewed green blood that blended in with the grass.  
  
Turning slowly Miles noticed some guy who looked in his thirties making his way towards him, getting down onto one knee the mystery savior cut the webbing from Miles' legs and smiled reassuringly at him, "Are you okay?" All Miles could do was nod dumbly, "You're lucky I found you, those things are pretty nasty," he motioned towards the dead spider.  
  
"T…t…thank you," Miles stammered.  
  
The man smiled again, "No problem," with the webbing gone the stranger helped Miles up and brushed his back down.  
  
"How…did you…"  
  
"Kill it?" another nod from Miles, "it's a long story Miles. One I'm gonna have to explain, but first you're gonna have to promise me that you'll keep an open mind."  
  
Miles ignored the last part, "How do you know my name?"  
  
The stranger shrugged, "I know everything about you, you're fifteen, from California and live at 42 Crescent Drive," the young boy stared dumbfounded at the man. "Let me put it this way, you're a wannabe duelist right?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Well Miles now you get to take part in one of the greatest duels ever, only this one ain't no game," he noticed the confused look on Miles' face, "Let me show you."  
  
"AH," Miles jumped back a few feet as the stranger in front of him started to glow before disappearing completely. When the light faded though Miles gawked at an actual real life Dark Magician.  
  
"Don't be frightened Miles," the Dark Magician had the same voice as the stranger, "It's still me," the light appeared again and this time he was back to normal.  
  
"How?" that was the only word Miles could think of.  
  
"You got a rainbow card right?" a nod for confirmation, "these rainbow cards aren't from Konami, they have been telling the truth. However what they didn't tell you was that they didn't think up the game of Duel Monster, sure they thought of a name, characters and whatnot but the game existed already…in real life."  
  
"You're kidding!" the stranger turned Miles back to face the Hunter Spider, "You're not kidding."  
  
"Fraid not kid, those cards are copies of actual cards they found. You see there's a war going on here. Nobody knows how it got started but it's been going on for centuries, now the people of this dimension found out a way to harness the power inside of them and call on that power if they ever needed to fight. Hence me," he pointed to himself, "Dark Magician. However now our reality is in danger too, you see the war here is heating up with the leader of the largest army being a Mythic Dragon. He seems determined to rule over everybody and crush anyone who gets in his way to do it," Miles hadn't noticed but the two had started walking. "Those rainbow cards are actually gateways to this dimension, only one person in a hundred is chosen and if they choose to shoulder the responsibility then they'll remain here with us until either the battle is won or they die."  
  
"Wait…die?" Miles stalled, "You mean dead like that thing back then."  
  
The stranger nodded, "Unfortunately not everyone is able to control their powers and if they can't then the beast within takes over them forever. They can only sit back and watch as the beast carries out unspeakable deeds," he noticed Miles pale, "But I wouldn't worry, it hardly ever happens."  
  
"That's comforting to know," he noticed a large cave up ahead, "What's in there?"  
  
"Home base, it's where this contingents group of rebels hideout from the Mythic dragon forces. Are you following me so far?"  
  
Miles nodded, "I guess, but…" he grabbed his head, "This is a lot to take in."  
  
"I know, I was like you too at first," Miles looked up, "Three years I've been here fighting for my home, and let me tell ya. It's been one wild ride."  
  
Miles jumped when a Silver Fang appeared from the cave, it growled upon seeing Miles but when it noticed the guy he was standing next to a bright light appeared and a young girl who couldn't have been more that seventeen stood before them. "Glad to see you back, I was beginning to get worried," Miles gawked at her. She was beautiful, long flowing brown hair, pale green eyes and a figure to die for.  
  
"We ran into a bit of unexpected bother," the stranger laughed while slapping Miles so hard on the back that it nearly floored him, "Miles this is Melanie."  
  
"Uh…hi," Miles extended a hand but the girl just cocked an eyebrow.  
  
"Hello," she then turned back to the stranger as if Miles wasn't there, "Dylan we got word from the Kintari base, they were hit last night and over half of their forces destroyed. I said they could meet here with us until they can rebuild their forces."  
  
Miles mentally noted the strangers name and watched him groan, "Damn it, that's the fourth faction this month to be hit. They're definitely closing in on us," there was an awkward pause, "Any word from the larger kingdoms?"  
  
"They're still ignoring us," Melanie spat, "bunch of cowards."  
  
Dylan nodded, "Come on, let's go inside, it'll be dark soon."  
  
Miles discovered that the inside of the cave was huge, winding tunnels led off to different ways, Dylan explained that while some led off to training rooms and living quarters other led to traps in case they were ever attacked by the Mythic Dragons army. Along the way down the corridor Miles noticed many different people moving around, some were in duel monsters form, others weren't. "Oh, excuse me," Miles mentioned after bumping into an Axe Raider who gave a friendly smile and moved off. "How many of you live here?" Miles asked from behind Dylan and Melanie.  
  
"About sixty two," Dylan replied, "all trained and from earth, and if you decide to stay then you'll be a part of the family too."  
  
Stay? Miles hadn't thought of that, what about his family, he couldn't leave them behind could he? But if he left he'd be giving up the opportunity to duel alongside actual duel monsters, and protect earth from possible disaster. By the way Dylan and Melanie were talking he figured that the war was not going in their favor. But could he live here for…well forever. "Hey Dylan," the large man turned to look at him, "If I decide to stay and help you, will I be here forever?"  
  
An uneasy look was shared between the man and the girl, they stopped walking and Dylan took a deep breath, "I'm not going to lie to you Miles because if you decide to stay I don't want you accusing me of not giving you the full picture. We're losing this war, our numbers continue to get less and less by the day and we don't have enough people willing to stay and fight. But what they don't understand is if they don't make a stand now then in a matter of ten years the Mythic Dragon is going to find a way to get through to our reality and then we're all in big trouble," he paused. "If you decided to stay a portal opens every five years but if you go back you may never return, the card that brought the here is still active and will remain so until you hand it over to one of us. That card can take you home now but I promise that if you do then there's a good chance that I'll be seeing you very soon."  
  
Miles understood the situation, "How long do I have to decide?"  
  
"Two hours," Miles groaned, "I know it isn't long but think of it this way, you were chosen because you're special to the world. Technically you have a responsibility to protect earth as do we, if you leave you'll be turning your back on your birthright. However if you do go no one will think any less of you," Melanie snorted but Dylan ignored her. "Talk to some of the other guys, I'll tell you when you have five minutes remaining. You can make your decision then okay?" Miles nodded. "There's a bunch of them through there training and relaxing, they won't mind if you just come up and talk to them," the youngster seemed reluctant, "Go ahead, they won't mind, they were all in the same position as you once."  
  
Nodding Miles went through the arch and entered the room, once he'd gone Melanie turned back to Dylan, "You think he'll stay?"  
  
"To be honest, I have no clue."  
  
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"So you actually like it here?" Miles had been talking to one of the fellow guys his age named Steven for over an hour and couldn't get over how happy he seemed.  
  
"What's not to like, you're in an adventure and what's more nobler than dying for your world?" Steve rested his head against the hard stonewall, "But I can't decide for you, only you can do that."  
  
"Don't you miss your family?"  
  
Steve gave a thin smile and nodded, "Of course I miss my family, but if we win this war in say ten years. Only five years will have passed back home and I will have only aged two years?"  
  
Miles shook his head, "How's that possible."  
  
"Time passes a lot quicker here than back home, oh sure they feel the same length but they're not. Here twenty-four hours will pass and only twelve will have gone by back home. And as for the aging thing, thanks to our powers we only age a year every five. Normal people in this world age normally but us…na uh."  
  
"That's amazing."  
  
"Well we've gotta have some perks," Miles turned to see a Swordstalker enter the room and slump onto one of the benches, slowly he morphed back into a big muscular man in his twenties, "We're out risking life and limb every day."  
  
"What Brian is trying to say is that the bad far outweighs the good," the room fell silent and when Miles looked up he saw Dylan standing before him.  
  
"It's time to make a decision," he said his voice void of all emotion, "guys give us a second," everyone exited the room leaving the two alone. "Have you decided what you're going to do?"  
  
"Yeah," Miles stood up and removed the rainbow card from his trouser pocket, staring at it he marveled at its glow and saw his bedroom through it, "I think you'd better hang onto this for a while," he extended the card and Dylan smiled.  
  
"Are you sure, you do realize that you'd be risking your life and may not see home again?" Dylan studied Miles' face, he seemed determined when he looked back up at him again.  
  
"I'm sure."  
  
Dylan took the card and the glow faded, Miles watched as his room was replaced instead by the colored stripes, Dylan put a hand on his shoulder, "Welcome to the family kid."  
  
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By Boulder 


	2. Spirit Inside

Spirit Inside  
"So what happens now," Miles was seated on a particularly sharp rock that was currently cutting into his backside and was not in the most comfortable of positions.  
  
Dylan was busy placing sticks inside a rock circle which Miles presumed he'd use to start a fire, "Now we have to find your warrior spirit. The one that if you had lived here all your life you'd be able to control." He removed a small pouch from his side, "It's pot luck really but don't worry if you're something weak like a Kuribo or a Milus Radient it won't matter."  
  
"It won't?"  
  
"Nope, the card game is nothing like this world. When we fight we gain experience through battle. For example I'm a Dark Magician right?" Miles nodded, "In the game the Dark Magician only has 2500 attack points correct?" another nod, "Well I've been here fighting for so long for all I know I could have the equivalent of 18000 attack points. Every time you…" he seemed a little hesitant about his next word, "Kill an enemy, you absorb his strength, kinda like…Highlander."  
  
"That's incredible," Miles exclaimed, but Dylan just chuckled, "What?"  
  
"Compared to the Mythic Dragon I'm an ant, but if we can get enough people to fight together then we may be able to overrun the Dragons forces and crush him," Miles noticed that Dylan definitely seemed determined, his face was etched in a firm scowl and he seemed deep in thought.  
  
"Well, how many soldiers would it take?"  
  
Dylan turned to face Miles, "Let's just say we're way off at the moment. And that's why we need people like you Miles, brave people who are willing to fight for what's right," Miles felt himself blush, he never had been good at taking praise, "Come on, it's time to begin." Coming forward Miles followed Dylan's instructions and sat cross-legged in front of the fire, "Just close your eyes and let your mind go blank, and then we'll begin."  
  
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Everything was black, pure darkness surrounded Miles as he stood in some sort of…well he didn't really know what the hell it was. Scanning the entire area Miles soon realized that there were three lights about thirty feet away from him, they were small but seemed to be getting bigger and brighter with each passing second until Miles finally had to shield his eyes, they were so bright.  
  
"Miles?" Dylan's voice echoed through the darkness, "What do you see?"  
  
"Apart from complete nothingness, I see three lights," Miles responded squinting at the magnificent orbs.  
  
"Don't be afraid, that's normal, now tell me…what colors are they?"  
  
"Uh," Miles tried to look at the lights but could only just make out what they were, "Green…Red and Yellow."  
  
"Okay," Dylan sounded relieved, "now here's the deal, those colors represent duel monster types. The red means fire, green means earth and yellow means thunder. Whatever color you choose you would become a duel monster of that type. Do you understand?"  
  
'Hell no' Miles' mind screamed at him but he decided to lie, "Uh…I think so."  
  
"Good, now I want you to choose a color and walk into the light," Dylan got no response, "Miles…are you still there?"  
  
"Yeah," his voice sounded unsure.  
  
"Listen Miles, I know you're scared, I was too, but I promise you everything will be fine. There is no way you can harness your powers if you don't choose a light," there was silence and Dylan was actually starting to sweat as he watched the hypnotized Miles' eyebrows scrunch up.  
  
"What if I choose wrong?"  
  
"There is no right and wrong Miles, just trust your instincts. Which was your first ever duel monster card type? That's how I chose my color."  
  
"Silver Fang," Miles whispered to himself, he stared at the green light and slowly but surely walked into it. There was a blinding green flash and Miles was back in the darkness, "Where am I now?" he called into the darkness.  
  
"This is where you'll meet your inner warriors, there will be five in all. Can you see them?" Miles waited patiently   
  
At first Miles couldn't see anything, aside from black. However he started to feel as if wherever he was was beginning to move. He wasn't exactly sure how but he was positive the place was spinning. Dylan watched from his seat on the rock as Miles' expression became one of confusion, he remained silent knowing that in time all would become clear. Miles though felt like he was about to throw up as it became harder and harder to maintain his balance, "Uh…Dylan?"  
  
"Don't worry Miles, trust me, it'll be okay."  
  
Nodding Miles remained focused and gradually the place began to slow down before finally coming to a halt. When it eventually stopped spinning Miles realized that where he was had changed, instead of being complete darkness he now seemed to be standing inside of a room of some kind, it was like an old castle with large blocks arching their way up on all sides until they met directly above Miles' head. A torch donned each side of the room it's glow just enough to illuminate the room. But what intrigued him most were the five doors that were stationed in front of him, they were big wooden doors with steel supports fastened firmly across the strips of wood with iron bolts. Miles stared dumbfounded at them before they started to creak open, taking a step back Miles swallowed nervously and watched as all five swung open to reveal bright green lights.  
  
"You okay Miles?" he got no response though, smiling to himself he knew it was beginning.  
  
Miles stared at the five duel monsters in front of him, although he wasn't a complete expert in the game he recognized four of the five that seemed to stare at him with dead eyes, it was as if they weren't alive. The four he knew were Uraby, Ansatsu, Hayabusa Knight and Mystic Horseman. But the fifth was a complete mystery to him, two large swords were clutched in each hand and a bright, metallic armor covered most of his upper body complete with a helmet that left only the face visible. "I see them," he whispered.  
  
Dylan though nearly missed those words but luckily had been keeping a ear out for any kind of words, "Miles! You see them?"  
  
"They're magnificent," all five duel monsters were about the same height and it occurred to Miles that maybe every duel monster was similar in size, but which was the best one to choose? Judging from what Dylan told him it didn't really matter which one he chose, it'd all work out the same in the end. "Dylan?"  
  
"Yes Miles."  
  
"Which one should I choose," he called into the darkness, "There's…"  
  
"NO!" Miles stopped talking, "You can't tell me what spirits there are, they find it very disrespectful if you ask for help, this decision has to come from you Miles. And no one else, do you understand?"  
  
Once again Miles didn't, "Yes," but once again he decided to lie anyway. On first impressions he judged that Ansatsu might be the best suited for him, the ninja had to be fast so that could be a good thing. But something kept on drawing him back to look at the sword wielding, armor clad warrior, there was something about him. The way he looked, the way he stood, generally the way he was.  
  
But before he could do anything there was a blinding white flash forcing him to either close his eyes or go blind, Miles felt the room begin to spin again before stopping suddenly. He opened his eyes to see Dylan smiling at him from above; realizing he was lying on the floor Miles sat up and scratched his head. "What happened?" he asked quizzically, "I didn't get to make my choice."  
  
"It's all part of it Miles, if you left it up to your head you'd have doubts so the moment your subconscious decided on what one you were going to be, bam!" he clapped his hands together, "You became that duel monster."  
  
"But…how do I find out what I am?"  
  
"That's the easy part," Dylan explained, "but listen to every word I say alright, you cannot let the sense of power you first feel when you shift into your form overwhelm you. Because if you do, the spirit will take over the body and more than likely won't like the idea of being in a cave very much," Miles listened carefully, keeping track of all the information Dylan was feeding him, "If you can't control your spirit Miles, I'm afraid we may be forced to kill you."  
  
Miles went numb, losing his voice all he could do was nod understandably and try not to act afraid, when in actually fact he was terrified.  
  
"Do you still want to do this?" Dylan's voice was calm and understanding of the youngsters fear.  
  
Miles nodded, "Yes."  
  
"Alright, concentrate on you, nothing else matters at the moment but you. Not me, not your family, not this world, just…you." Miles did as he was told, closing his eyes he focused on himself and concentrated as hard as he could, "Feel your inner spirit within you, I know you don't know what it is yet but you should still be able to feel it."  
  
Miles' eyebrows scrunched up slightly, "I feel it."  
  
"Good, now…your spirit is behind a mental barricade at the moment. All you have to do is take that barricade down, and you should be able to change," Dylan took a deep breath, he was beginning to wonder whether or not this was a good idea, "Give it a try."  
  
Melanie watched from the doorway, keeping a keen eye on Miles she snorted inside of her head, 'There's no way he's gonna be able to do it' her mind said, but she still kept a close of him, just in case.  
  
Miles could feel it growing inside of him, an immense power that flowed throughout his body, it felt incredible. However he remembered what Dylan told him and although he allowed the power to continue to increase he slowed it down. His breathing slowed slightly a calming feeling washed over him before feeling total relief, and then it was gone.  
  
"You alright Miles," Dylan asked kindly.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine," opening his eyes Miles suddenly felt as though his body was heavier than it should be, feeling his chest he realized that it had an odd, smooth feel to it, as if it were made out of… "Metal," he muttered, his eyes widened as it dawned on him and he took a look at his feet that were now adorned by a pair of boots, "I don't believe it."  
  
Dylan laughed out loud, it was more relief than anything, "Believe it Miles, you're a duel monster," he took a good look at the monstrosity before him.  
  
"W…where…I…" Miles spluttered whiled getting to his feet, reaching behind to scratch his head Miles' hand knocked against something. A handle. Pulling on it he slowly unsheathed an enormous sword that shimmered in the torchlight, reaching behind him with the other hand he extracted the other one from his scabbard and held one in each hand.  
  
"Miles," Dylan drew the youngsters attention and noticed a smile on the monsters face, "Do you know what duel monster type you chose?"  
  
"No," Miles swung the sword in a wide arc, he noticed that it was as if he was an expert with the things.  
  
"You're a Sword Hunter."  
  
"Sword Hunter? Cool," Miles nodded his head enjoying his first duel monsters experience.  
  
Dylan shook his head with a smile, "You don't seem to understand Miles, the Sword Hunter is one of the most powerful monsters in the game if used correctly. And do you know why?" Miles shook his head, "Remember when I told you that after we kill an enemy we absorb their power."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Well when a Sword Hunter kills an enemy he gets the enemies power plus another third of what the enemies power would be, in other words…you have the potential to gain strength and experience much quicker than anybody else. In three years time, if we're still alive you might even have surpassed my power," Miles paid close attention to what Dylan was saying.  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Really," Miles punched the air, all the while being careful not to put his sword through anything, "Get used to your powers, but remember what I said, don't let it go too far."  
  
Miles nodded, "If I wanted to turn back to normal, how would I go about it."  
  
Dylan smiled, "Just do what you did last time, but this time instead of letting your spirit out, push him back in and put up your block again."  
  
"That's all?"  
  
"That's all," stepping out from the secluded room Dylan glanced at Melanie who was standing to his right, her hands set firmly on her hips and a scowl upon her face, "What?"  
  
"If I didn't know you better I'd swear you were playing favorites," she began while following his walk down the corridor.  
  
"Mel," he smiled, "You know that's not true."  
  
"I hope not, because the Kintari troops will be here tomorrow. We won't have time to baby-sit a newbie," Dylan stopped and turned to look at Mel, "What?"  
  
"We."  
  
"I mean you, but I have to watch your back and there won't be any time for that tomorrow," Melanie spat.  
  
"I know."  
  
"Promise me you won't focus too much on Miles, I know he needs training, but get Steve to do it, they seemed to be getting on okay earlier on," Dylan remained silent, "Promise me Dylan."  
  
He sighed, "I promise, Steve can train Miles. And I will think of a way to get us out of this mess, alright?" Melanie nodded, "Thank you, now if you don't mind…I need something to eat, okay?"  
  
"Fine," Melanie stopped walking beside him, she watched him disappear into another cave and sighed; she hoped he knew what he was doing. Miles was a powerful duel monster, but if Dylan started filling his head with ideas that he was unbeatable then they could all be in serious trouble.  
  
---------------------------------------  
By Boulder 


	3. Seeing is Believing

Seeing is Believing  
  
---------------------  
  
The Akuni with Chain smashed through the rock formation sending bits of boulders scattering to the floor. Miles watched as Steve, in duel monster form, retracted the usual trap card and swung it in circular motions with his hands. "The trick is not to focus on your target, because if you do then you'll miss," the Battle Steer grunted and released the weapon again sending it smashing through the second set of rocks. "You can't control where the rocks are, but you can control other things, hand movements, the power you release it with, where your focus is. It's all about hand-eye co-ordination," he retracted the chain and handed it back to Miles who fingered it gingerly.  
  
"So, how did these things created, I mean do you make them or were they just here when you arrived," he started to circle the chain much like Steve had. Unfortunately it slipped out of his grasp while spinning and went flying off behind the two and crashed into a wall, "Damn it."  
  
"We create them, but other equips like…Salamandra have to be learned by spellcaster monsters," Steve redirected Miles swing but this time when he released the Akuni flew well wide of the target.  
  
"How does that work," Miles swore when once again he missed the rocks he was aiming for.  
  
"When a spellcastor gets enough power he can bless, if you will, a duel monster with a special ability. Polymerization is one, beast fangs is another, basically any equip card you've ever heard of, a spellcastor can perform, like this," he pointed to the Akuni with Chain. "Dylan created it a year ago for me, but when I die, it disappears, just like any other equipment weapon. Except for ones that take a hell of a lot of power to create, Axe of Despair is one, Horn of the Unicorn another, Sword of Deep Seated. Others work differently, when the wearer of a Black Pendant is killed the pendant drains 5% of the monster responsible for his deaths power, in the game when you can pay life points to put an equip card back on top of your deck, well it works kinda the same here it just drains a certain percentage of your power. Malevolent Nuzzler drains about 30% of your power. Everything here has an adverse effect."  
  
"It's kinda confusing," Miles replied while once again swinging and missing, "shit!" he cursed, Steve laughed, "I think I'll stick to my swords," Miles handed the trap back to Steve who on first attempt smashed through the rocks he'd been trying to hit. "What about traps?"  
  
"They work kinda the same," Steve replied not looking at Miles, a certain cavern can be blessed with an ability as can a monster. You heard of Michizure?"  
  
"Sure, when one of your monsters is destroyed you can destroy one of your opponents," Miles replied while scratching the back of his head.  
  
"Exactly, if say Dylan blessed you with that whoever killed you would be killed themselves," Steve sighed and took a seat next to him.  
  
"My head hurts," Miles grabbed his head, all this was a bit much to take in.  
  
Steve laughed, "And I'm not even halfway through explaining it all yet."  
  
"Tell me about it," Miles muttered, "I still have like a million questions," he let himself slip back into his human form to take a break, Steve followed suit, "it must be pretty hard then to kill a monster without getting killed yourself."  
  
Steve shrugged, "Not really, there are so many duel monsters around that meeting one with a Michizure effect on the battlefield is rare, I've never seen it happen."  
  
Miles glanced to his right where footsteps alerted him coming through the doorway, Dylan grinned broadly seeing the warn out kid, "How's it going Miles?"  
  
"Lousy," he muttered, "I'm as much use to you as a hamburger is to a vegetarian."  
  
Dylan glanced to Steve who smiled, "He's doing pretty good, the skill he has with his swords is impressive to say the least. With a bit more practice he should be a great addition to the squad."  
  
"Glad to hear it," his mood then turned sour, "but we have to prepare, the Kintari squad is going to arrive within the hour. They've got heavy wounded so get the red and blue medicine ready for distribution."  
  
"Got it," Steve stood and exited the training area while Dylan walked over and stood in front of Miles.  
  
"I'd like you to meet some of the Kintari warriors, they're one of the oldest groups of rebels on this planet. In fact they were the first group of rebels, you can learn a lot from them," he extended a hand that Miles took and got yanked to his feet.  
  
---------------------------------------  
  
It was horrible, the blood, the screams, the pure agony etched on the warriors face as he clutched at the wound in his thigh that spilled blood onto the stone floor staining it a deep crimson. Miles watched quietly from the entrance to the medical room where seven Kintari men were being treated for various wounds.  
  
"Hey," one of the Kintari men Miles had noticed came up beside him and reached out a hand, "Jasper Conrad, leader of the Kintari rebels, pleased to meet you."  
  
Miles shook hands with the unimpressive leader of the rebels, he was a short balding man with thick black glasses and a crooked smiles. "Miles, Miles Davies, pleased to meet you," he took a look back into the medical room, "what happened?"  
  
Jasper sighed, "Same thing that always does, one of our men got spooked and in a deal for his survival he let the Mythic Dragon know where we were, they invaded with three times our numbers. We didn't really stand a chance," he wetted his lips with his tongue, "I lost over seventy good men and women," he jammed his eyes shut, "and this isn't doing any favors for the morale of my troops either."  
  
"All you can do is try your best," Miles murmured quietly.  
  
"My best is getting my soldiers killed," he turned back to face the wounded who had now stopped crying, one in fact was now white, his dead eyes staring up at the stone ceiling, "I wish I'd never come to this god forsaken place. I wish I'd never convinced my men to come here too."  
  
Miles remained silent, unsure of what to say to the obviously distraught Kintari leader, "You're doing what's right, they died doing what was right. And at least they still have their honor," the voice came from Dylan who was approaching from the rear of the tunnel, "the rest of your troops are fine," he glanced past them into the cave, "How're they?"  
  
"Six will live, Enrique though…" he trailed off as the dead Psychic Kappa was covered with a sheet.  
  
"I'm sorry Jasper, he was a good man," Jasper nodded dumbly, he pushed his glasses back onto the bridge of his nose with a sigh. Dylan remained silent and instead turned to Miles, "Can I talk to you for a second."  
  
"Sure."  
  
Leaving down the tunnel Dylan stopped and turned to Miles, "Do you now see what it's like here," the youngster nodded solemnly. He watched as five of his troops passed in non-duel monster form, he ran a hand across his mouth and swore, things were getting worse by the second.  
  
"How many factions of rebels are there?" Miles said, he was really beginning to question whether coming to this place was a good idea or not.  
  
"Now," Dylan thought about it for a moment, "around thirty remain, each contingent has anywhere from 50 to 200 men and women."  
  
Miles quickly did the math inside of his head, "So maximum we have six thousand men, maximum."  
  
Dylan groaned, "Oh god don't, you're depressing me."   
  
Miles wasn't so sure he wanted to ask this next question but decided that he needed to know, "How many soldiers does the Mythic Dragon have?"  
  
For a moment Dylan said nothing, he just stared into space as if he hadn't heard the question, Miles did definitely not like this. Just when it seemed that Dylan wasn't going to reply he blurted out words that made Miles' good mood completely vanish, "We don't know."  
  
"You don't know?" Dylan shook his head, "well that's just f'ing marvelous. And they have all dragon types at their disposal," a nod of confirmation, "But if they're so unbeatable then why the hell did these people decide to start a war against them?"  
  
"Because they thought they'd have help," Dylan replied quietly.  
  
"From who?" Miles cried incredulously earning him a few strange looks from a Hitotsu me Giant and a Water Omotics.  
  
"The other realms?" Dylan could see the questioning stare on Miles' face, "Steve…didn't tell you about the other realms?"  
  
"No…he didn't."  
  
Frowning Dylan pushed himself off of the wall he'd been leaning against and sighed, "Apart from us and the Mythic Dragon there are other forces on this planet. It's not just…us v them, you have to take these kingdoms decisions into account too. The Mythic Dragon knows this and so does everything through them first."  
  
"So they help him?"  
  
"No, there are four other major kingdoms total, there are also small groups of others with say…500 duel monsters or more. But the major kingdoms consist of these types, Demon World," he raised one of his fingers, "which is basically a haven for dark type monsters, fiends, zombies…and so on. Fire Mountain…" he raised a second finger, "which is pretty self explanatory, but the two are currently engaged in a war of their own. Metal City, which is full of machine types, and finally the Noble Sword which is full of warrior types. The four are powerful individually but if they joined forces could definitely give the Mythic Dragon problems."  
  
"But if the Mythic Dragon is such a problem then why don't they just join forces and destroy him," this actually caused Dylan to burst into laughter, "What's so funny?"  
  
Composing himself Dylan shook his head, "Don't you think we've tried that, we've been sending messengers to each domain for years now trying to form some sort of pact."  
  
"And?"  
  
"And, if it'd worked we wouldn't be standing here having this conversation now would we?" taking a deep breath Dylan decided to explain it to him, "Let me put this simply Miles, Fire Mountain hates Demon World and the Noble Sword have absolutely no interest in Metal City at all. They're never going to get along."  
  
"Have you ever tried going there in person?"  
  
Dylan gave a small smile and shook his head, "What's the point Miles, if we go out there we risk getting slaughtered by the Mythic Dragon and for what? A rejection, we can't put soldiers lives on the line for a pointless crusade."  
  
"We have to try at least," Miles urged.  
  
Dylan laughed at the youngsters enthusiasm, Miles reminded him of when he'd first got here. All wide eyed and gullible, "I appreciate your suggestions Miles but it's…" he was cut off as an explosion rocked the caves, bits of rock splintered from the ceiling and crumbled to the floor, "That's not good," he muttered somberly.  
  
"What's going on?" Miles' voice was filled with panic as loud shouts and screams drifted through the tunnels.  
  
Squinting into the distance Dylan saw Mel rushing towards them, "Dylan!" she called, "we're under attack."  
  
"That's impossible," Dylan roared, "how the hell did they find us," not waiting for an answer he turned to Miles. "Well kid, looks like it's time for you to find out what kind of life we lead," in front of Miles Dylan morphed into his duel monsters form."  
  
Miles glanced at Melanie who was also now in duel monsters form, swallowing nervously he turned to Dylan, "O…okay," concentrating he opened his eyes and used his muscular arms to unsheathe both swords from his back, "I'm ready."   
  
---------------------------------------  
  
To Be Continued   
  
By Boulder 


End file.
